Although the prison camps did not fall to saboteurs, they remained a persistent source of worry for officials. There were 16 union armies named after rivers, such as the army of the potomac and 23 confederate armies named after states or regions, such as the army of northern virginia. There were numerous reasons for draft evasion and desertion during this. Desertion confederate during the civil war encyclopedia virginia. Even so the actual extent of it, as shown in the official reports, comes as a distinct shock. If the thirteen colonies could beat the worlds strongest power in 1776, then certainly the confederacy could have defeated the union in the civil war. In the ouachita mountains, men who had avoided conscription efforts fought with confederate forces in the february 15, 1863 skirmish at mcgraws mill, resulting in a confederate victory. Table 1 in the appendix of lonns book lists 1,028 as the figure. If anything, the evaporation of confederate forces was worse than the record indicates. The union army is estimated to have been slightly over 2 million men. The following list does not aspire to be complete one book from the. Oct 20, 20 williams book bitterly divided the south inner civil war on page 4 discuss davis begging csa soldiers to return in the summer of 1863 and in 1864 admitting that almost 2 3 of his soldiers were awol. Cline a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a degree with honors history the honors college university of maine may 2014 advisory committee. The problem of confederate desertion was aggravated by the inequitable inclinations of conscription officers and local judges.
The souths internal civil war, by david williams, a georgian. Jul 11, 2014 fry agreed and stated he expected no serious resistance to the draft in any part of the state, except rutland and vicinity, amongst the irish laborers in the marble quarries. Class conflict and the confederate conscription acts in north. The imbalance in the literature reflects in some way the notion that desertion hurt the confederacy far more than the union and thus the story is somehow. Desertion occurs when soldiers deliberately and permanently leave military service before their term of service has expired. Confederate general service button, csa, s buckley, 1960s centennial manufacture, 22mm button was probably made for the centennial and is high quality. In view of the conditions which prevailed in the war department and in the union army, it is not surprising that desertion was a common fault. The confederacy was originally formed by seven secessionist slaveholding statessouth carolina, mississippi, florida, alabama, georgia, louisiana, and texasin the lower south region of the united states, whose economy was. The politics of southern draft resistance, 19171918. The draft in the civil war the initial war fever soon dissipated in both the north and south, and each side was compelled to resort to conscription. Draft evasion is any successful attempt to elude a governmentimposed obligation to serve in the military forces of ones nation. Wheeler, local autonomy and civil war draft resistance. Union and confederate armies washington, 18801901, series 3, iii, 3553, 543, herein after cited as o.
Unfortunately, its a common misconception that in the 1860s, ouila. Was confederate soldier desertion rampant towards the end. Class conflict and the confederate conscription acts in. For soldiers to resort to abandoning their country and their states cause in this fight suggests that far too many offputting factors had impacted confederate men in such a manner so as. When the confederate congress passed a draft law in may of 1862, many unionists accepted conscription because they considered the alternative of resistance too costly. Desertion, cowardice and punishment essential civil war.
Almost 2,000 years ago, the roman historian vegitius stated that the desertion of enemys soldiers had a greater effect on its army than battlefield casualties. The object of this work has been from historical data to show that the southern states had rightfully the power to withdraw from a union into which they had, as sovereign communities, voluntarily entered. The desertion rate from the confederate armies increased as the men realized they were fighting a rich mans war and a poor mans fight. The desertion rate of any military force reflects the level of its fighting spirit. R dennis ziccardi, conscription, draft dodging and desertion in mercer county in the civil war, mercer county history, i 1971, 59.
As the above evidence sets forth, the environment that western north carolina confederate soldiers had to withstand during the civil war was horrendous. Desertion was not a serious problem for the confederacy. Drawing on official war records, she notes that one in seven enlisted union soldiers and one in nine confederate soldiers. Armys provost marshal general officially estimated. During the civil war draft evasion, desertion, peace movements, and even armed resistance threw whole regions of the south into anarchy. Class conflict and the confederate conscription acts in north carolina, 18621864 by tyler c.
Fry agreed and stated he expected no serious resistance to the draft in any part of the state, except rutland and vicinity, amongst the irish laborers in the marble quarries. Confederate states of america the reader wiki, reader. Though at first the attack caused union forces to retreat, the confederate push forward was stalled for long enough to allow grants forces to rally and prevent the southerners from escaping. Draft evasion is any successful attempt to elude a governmentimposed obligation to serve in. Nearly 3 million men served in the confederate army.
Ella lonn examines the causes and consequences of desertion from both the northern and southern armies. Desertion desertion is a barometer of an armys morale. Glossary of civil war terms american battlefield trust. During the american civil war 18611865, both the union and confederate armies were plagued by deserters, whose absence depleted the strength of their respective forces.
I wont attempt to make my own case, but rather just use the confederate leaders themselves. Apr 01, 2016 americas first military draft took place during the american revolution. However, they made a number of mistakes that greatly reduced th. The draft call of 1863 required registration of eligible men between the ages of 20 and 45, divided into two classes as described below in the data base, u. Conscription in the united states, commonly known as the draft, has been employed by the federal government on three occasions. When push came to shove during the american civil war, these people were. The confederate states draft began in 1862, not too long after the war broke out. Women were permitted to serve only in noncombat roles.
Conscription in the united states project gutenberg self. The age group grew as the war went on, with the final draft covering those aged between 17 and 50 years. Draft riots and resistance civil war history discussion. Prof david downing in his book a south divided page 111 that the csa had 200k deserters out of a white population of 5. A lesson for all rebels at home iupui scholarworks. Which of the following statements about the confederacy is. Civil war desertion by north carolina troops remains a controversial topic. From 1863 to 1865, four drafts took place in the united states.
Desertion during the civil war, originally published in 1928, remains the only booklength treatment of its subject. Desertion as politics in the north carolina confederate army volume 21 issue 2 katherine a. Turpie and professor micah pawling for their advisement and their help in pushing this. R dennis ziccardi, conscription, draftdodging and desertion in mercer county in the civil war, mercer county history, i 1971, 59. Illegal draft evasion is said to have characterized every military conflict of the 20th and 21st centuries. Resistance to confederate conscription was also noteworthy in the highlands of arkansas, where there was little investment in slavery. The first thing to be said about this book is that it is different from any other i have read about the civil war. Owing to the fragmentary nature of surviving records, researchers have arrived at different conclusions as to how many north carolina soldiers actually deserted the confederate army. Steinways endorsement by the jurors is emphatic, and stronger and more to the point than that. After the war these same men, controlled and oppressed by coal companies, continued their battle for justice. Sometimes draft evasion involves refusing to comply with the military draft laws formally known as conscription laws of ones nation. The following list does not aspire to be complete one book from the counterculture of the 1960s enumerated over 1,000 supposed draft evasion practices in one nation alone. While northern political divisions have been well documented, there is still much to learn about the political activities of dissenters within the confederacy.
The third incarnation of the draft came into being in 1940 through the selective training and service act. The special correspondent of the new york times says. The drafts building the armies of the american civil war. Cowardice in the civil war was defined as deserting in the face of the enemy. Was confederate soldier desertion rampant towards the end of. More damning than slaughter is the first broad study of desertion in the confederate army. Young people have engaged in a wide variety of draft evasion practices around the world. A compilation of over one hundred receipts adapted to the times. This last is a point the significance of which will emerge shortly. Most deserters from the confederate army simply returned to their farms to plant, tend, or harvest crops.
Confederate desertion rates american civil war forum. Pillow attacked union forces in an attempt to open up an escape route from donelson to nashville. The articles however tend for the most part to focus on virginia and north carolina. There was much evasion and overt resistance to the draft, and the new york city draft riots were in direct response to the draft and were the first largescale resistance against the draft in the united states. The south instituted a draft in 1862, requiring three years of service for those selected between the ages of 18 and 35. As the civil war progressed, desertion amongst confederate soldiers infected the confederate. The littleknown history of antisecession southerners. Which of the following statements about the confederacy is not accurate. While many students of the civil war are familiar with the typical southerner defending his home and hearth against northern aggression, how many civil war buffs and students of the war know the history of the immense number of union soldiers who stated that it was a rich mans war and a poor mans fight, because of rich northerners dodging. May 02, 2011 from 1863 to 1865, four drafts took place in the united states. Book civil war draft resistance and the molly maguires. Chapter three explores the resistance to the confederate conscription act of. The lackofwill thesis, which blames confederate defeat on rot from within, prevailed in the 1980s, and it was strongly rooted in the social history half of the civil war bookshelf.
Giuffre skip to main content we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Conclusion a discussion of rationale for confederate. Incorporating extensive archival research with a synthesis of other secondary material, mark a. Confederate states of america the reader wiki, reader view. How serious was desertion and draft evasion in the union. After antietam robert e lee himself estimated that a third of his force was absent at the battle of antietam on september 17, 1862. Armys provost marshal general officially estimated that 23,000 north carolina troops deserted between. To survive, they fought hunger, sickness, and nakedness with resourcefulness.
North carolinas civil war history, like that of other southern states, is a complex mixture of internal division, draft resistance, desertion, deprivation, and shifting allegiances. There were two hundred and sixtynine pianos from all parts of the world entered for competition. Auman and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. At first, men between the ages of 18 and 35 were called up and were required to serve three years if selected. Weitz confronts a question never fully addressed until now. The confederate campaign against peace agitators, deserters and draft dodgers 9780786476633 by william t. These hints were printed in newspapers, told by word of mouth, or in 1863 published in book form. The topic of confederate desertion remains one of the least well understood in the field of civil war scholarship, according to historian gary w. Opposition to the confederacy thrived in upcountry and mountain areas where few whites owned slaves, but it broke out in the plantation districts as well.
Union and confederate forces were approximately the same size. In the darkness of an early summer morning in 19 18, a truck loaded with fifty soldiers lumbered up into the hills north of atlanta, georgia, part of a federalstate expedi tion into rural cherokee county, a reported center of resistance to the world war i draft. Americas first military draft took place during the american revolution. By the end of the war, wide areas of the south this book dispels the myth that the white south was solidly united in defense of the confederacy. During the american civil war 18611865, both the union and confederate armies were plagued by deserters, whose absence depleted the strength of their. Civil war desertion, desertions, deserter, deserters history. Oct 23, 2017 an examination of the myth of massive southern desertion. Desertion of alabama troops from the confederate army.
There are three book length studies of confederate desertion in addition to a variety of journal articles. Williams book bitterly divided the south inner civil war on page 4 discuss davis begging csa soldiers to return in the summer of 1863 and in 1864 admitting that almost 2 3 of his soldiers were awol. Desertion during the civil war, originally published in 1928, remains the only book length treatment of its subject. The politics of southern draft resistance, 19 171 9 18. The south began drafting soldiers in 1862 and the union followed a year later. The draft was held on july 22, 1863, without violence, and 263 names were selected, all of which were published in the rutland herald the following day. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. By the end of the war, the minimum age for the confederate draft was 17 and the maximum age was 50.
Harriet howell no relation to henry explained that her husband opposed the confederacy from the start, but accepted being drafted into the army rather than lie out in the. The rise and fall of the confederate government, vol. Mcpherson on down have been saying for years that there needs to be a fresh study of this topic. The increased volume of desertions inspired by the souths disasters. Union army from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia jump to navigation jump to search for the cu. Some of these practices go back thousands of years.